Once, some fish lived in a pond. One evening, some fishermen passed by the pond and saw the fish. "This pond is full of fish!"they told each other excitedly. "We must come back tomorrow morning and catch them!"they said.
When the eldest of the fish heard this, he was troubled. He called the other fish together and said, "Did you hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this pond at once. The fishermen will return tomorrow and kill us all!"
The second oldest of the fish agreed.
But the younger fish laughed. He said, "We have lived in this pond all our lives, and no fisherman has ever come here. Why should these men return? I am not going anywhere —my luck will keep me safe."
The eldest of the fish left the pond that evening with his family. The second oldest of the fish saw the fishermen coming the next morning and left the pond with all his family at once. The younger fish didn’t want to leave even then.
The fishermen caught and killed all the fish left in the pond.
The first fish that saw trouble ahead and acted before it arrived —and the fish who acted as soon as it came —both survived. But the fish that depended only on luck and did nothing at all died. It is also the same in life.
Note: survive v.幸存